THE WEANLING COLT. 23 



The attendants should handle the colts carefully 

 so as to inspire confidence and friendship. The 

 colt should be groomed daily in order to improve 

 its coat and to break it to the use of the currycomb 

 and brush. 



Halter-Breaking. 



After the colt has become accustomed to a stall, 

 the next thing is to halter-break it. The horse- 

 man who advised tying the colt in stall, with a 

 rope around girth, makes this suggestion : "The 

 first day the colt is weaned and after it has stood 

 in the stall for awhile, the rope should be taken 

 oft and a plain leather strap substituted. Bring 

 the dam out. Let the colt go up to her, then 

 have an assistant lead the mare away. Then lead 

 the colt after her, until the colt gets used to being 

 led about. Then take the mare away, without let- 

 ting the colt see you do so, and continue the les- 

 son in leading." 



Dr. \V. A. Barber writes: "My idea as to the 

 best time to halter-break a colt is the next day 

 after it is foaled. Slip a good fiting halter on the 

 colt and handle it at every opportunity. If you 

 have a boy that loves a horse he will soon have 

 the colt broken to halter as well as to lead at will. 

 From that time the colt will grow up to know 

 what restraint is." 



Ned AlcCarr, colt man at the Savage Farm, 

 writes : "We halter-break a colt by putting a 

 piece of three-eighths-inch bell cord around it, 



